In due time, this will be a marquee matchup in the Atlantic Division. And even though both the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics got out of the gate with some early stumbles and lackluster play, both have been better lately, giving indications that they will be strong factors in the Eastern Conference race.

That gives some extra weight to early games like this one, which could help determine how the East stacks up in April.

Deron Williams and the Brooklyn Nets have beaten up on non-contenders after a brutal loss to the Miami Heat. (AP Photo)

Boston is coming off a tight victory against the Utah Jazz, just their second home win of the season. The Celtics are 3-1 on the road, and with four games in five days on tap, they’re hoping to establish some consistency.

“You’ve got to try and gather some momentum before you go out on that road,” Celtics captain Paul Pierce said. “You know you put pressure on yourself. It was that first game at home and you find yourself catching up with the standings, with the battles of these teams here in the Eastern Conference, you know you have to take advantage of the home games, because it’s always tough being on the road. Brooklyn’s been playing well. You know it’s always hard on the road so hopefully it can kind of give us some momentum that we’ve been carrying on the road and home and now back on the road.”

The Nets bounced back from a 30-point loss against the defending-champ Miami Heat last Wednesday with three straight wins. Two were against Orlando and one was against Cleveland—teams with little hope of making the playoffs—but they did get those three wins by an average of 16.7 points. This game will be a good barometer of whether the Nets have progressed since the Miami embarrassment, and with a three-game road trip to the West coast after they play the Celtics, the Nets could use some confidence.

When Williams was traded to the Nets by Utah in February of 2011, fans were eager to see Williams and Rondo pitch some fierce head-to-head battles. It hasn’t worked out that way, though. The two have faced each other three times after the trade, with Rondo averaging 6.7 points and 12.3 assists (shooting 29.4 percent), and Williams averaging 13.3 points on 34.4 percent shooting, adding 10.3 assists.